"Hurrah! the brute has made a famous bonfire!" exclaimed Jerry, clapping his hands as he saw the bright flames burst out from the easily ignited grass. "Larger than we may bargain for," I remarked, as in another instant, fanned by the wind, the fire began to run along the ground, and a neighbouring clump broke forth into a furious blaze. "Well, that is a bonfire!" cried Jerry, still not comprehending the extent of the mischief he had commenced; but it was not long before he also saw with me what was going to occur. On went the fire, running along the ground as if it had been strewed with gunpowder--then for an instant playing round some tall clump, out of which directly afterwards forked flames darted forth, and quickly reduced it to ashes, while thick volumes of smoke curled upwards to the sky. No sooner did the bulls scent the smoke than up went their tails, and with loud bellows they dashed off through the grass, trampling it down in their fright. "Now is our time!" I exclaimed; "the siege is raised; let us make the best of our way to the boat." Following the impulse of the moment, we seized our guns and the birds we had shot, and leaping off the rock, began to run in an opposite direction to that which the bulls had taken. "Hurrah! the bulls are off. There they go like mad things, with their tails up in the air!" exclaimed Jerry, as we ran on. "I did it finely--didn't I? That bonfire was a capital idea. We've killed two, and the rest won't be in such a hurry to butt at people in future." On we scampered, but we had not gone twenty paces before I seized Jerry's arm and came to a stand-still, looking with dismay at the scene before us. The flames, blown by the wind, had caught the neighbouring clumps of tall grass. Dry as tinder, they were blazing up furiously. Our further progress was completely barred by the fierce flames which were rapidly extending on every side, and even then running along the ground towards us. We had already passed over a quantity of dry grass which, in another moment, might be on fire, and then all hope of escape would be lost. "Back, back!" I exclaimed--"to the rock, to the rock! It is our only place of safety."